


on and on it spins

by alltheworldsinmyhead



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Established Relationship, F/M, at the Starks', gendrya from lyanna's POV, shitton of retrospection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:08:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23045302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alltheworldsinmyhead/pseuds/alltheworldsinmyhead
Summary: The ghost of a twenty-years-old Robert Baratheon is standing on her childhood home’s driveway, pulling her little niece closer to kiss her forehead and making her smile oh so softly. They paint a nice picture together. // Lyanna's POV on Gendry and Arya
Relationships: Arya Stark/Gendry Waters, Lyanna Stark/Rhaegar Targaryen, Robert Baratheon/Lyanna Stark
Comments: 104
Kudos: 380





	on and on it spins

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written for the Gendrya Appreciation Week 2020, Day 5: Parallels.  
> Hope that you'll enjoy ;)

> _It's hard to admit that_
> 
> _Everything just takes me back_
> 
> _To when you were there_
> 
> _To when you were there_
> 
> _It is just like a movie_
> 
> _It is just like a song_
> 
> _My God, this reminds me_
> 
> _Of when we were young_
> 
> \- Adele

* * *

Every December 18th, Lyanna gets into the car and drives home for holidays.

She takes the Kingsroad Interprovince which vastly improved travelling between the capital and the Northern part of the country, but it’s still quite a journey. On top of that, every time she thinks about speeding, a vision of Brandon’s body sprawled on the concrete, _smeared_ on it like a jam on the toast and the burning carcass of his motorcycle appears in her mind… and so she takes her foot off the gas pedal and slows down.

It was easier, when she had Jon on the passenger seat, asking her a million questions per minute and singing along to the songs on the radio. It’s been a good few years since her little boy packed his things and enlisted to the military, but the empty spot on her right side is still sacred. She doesn’t even put her bag there and catches herself glancing on it now and then, surprised when her eyes don’t find a familiar mop of black hair.

Oh, Jon.

But _oh, home_ also, cause this drive is still more sweet than bitter and, as she’s finally parking under her childhood house, she has a sudden urge to cry. Catelyn always goes all out on Christmas, making Ned and her boys wrap lights around every single pillar and beam, which was never the case when Lyanna was still living there. But underneath sparkles and ornaments, the Starks' house is still the Starks' house.

And King’s Landing would never, _could never_ be Winterfell.

Before she can exit the car, an old Chevy with chained wheels slowly rolls to the spot next to her, neatly fitting in-between her own machine and the high wall of snow pushed off the driveway. The doors open with a swing and a girl – _gods, can it be Arya? How could she grow up so much in just a year? –_ springs out in the unzipped jacket, laughing at something so hard that her whole body shakes a bit.

She must’ve cut her hair, cause it reaches just below her jawline and curls a bit. She’s not taller but she does seem older somehow, in this special way of teenage girls, when they are children one day and suddenly young women another, and no one can really narrow the change down to one specific thing.

Lyanna was looking forward to seeing Arya, talking with her again. She brought her a book about medieval female knights as a gift and expects a nice discussion-

However, her fond train of thoughts is interrupted when a young man appears from the other side of the car, reaching out to take her niece’s hand in his. He towers over her, which is not a great achievement in itself – Arya is just as petite as Lyanna and she’ll probably remain like that for the rest of her life – but the guy looks taller than Ned and Benjen. Broader too, with a backstroke swimmer’s shoulders and those nicely defined arms that the girls fawn themselves over, visible even under his winter jacket.

He’s blue-eyed and black-haired, and looks like a mirror copy of Lyanna’s first boyfriend.

 _Robert Baratheon_. The ghost of a twenty-years-old Robert Baratheon is standing on her childhood home’s driveway, pulling her little niece closer to kiss her forehead and making her smile _oh so_ softly. They paint a nice picture together.

And Lyanna… does not really know how to process that.

‘’Aunt Lya!’’ the door to the house open with a loud bang and Rick spirits out, his fluffy black dog right after him. ‘’Aunt Lya, you came!’’

Arya tears her eyes off her – _boyfriend, right? He must be her boyfriend, if he kisses her like that, holds her like that_ – and spins on her feet towards Lyanna’s car, her eyes widening in surprise and glee.

‘’Aunt Lya!’’ she echoes her brother, ‘’Hello!’’

With that, Lyanna truly has no other option but to open the door and get out, just in time to collide with sprinting Rickon. Shaggydog barks joyfully, running in circles around their legs.

‘’Oh, look at you! When did you grow up so tall, boy.’’ She laughs fondly, messing his auburn curls. Rick, at ten, already reaches her chin. He’ll soon outgrow her, no doubts about it. _When did they all grow up?_ ‘’I missed you so much.’’

‘’Missed you too, auntie,’’ Rickon mumbles against Lyanna’s fur collar. Above his head, she can see Arya stepping closer, dragging Robert’s copy along with her. 

‘’You’re early this year.’’ Arya’s grinning. So close, it’s clear as a day that puberty did her right; she’s finally mature enough that her long face looks perfectly dignified, giving her an intriguing sort of allure. And those eyes, oh. The Starks’ grey eyes which seemed to survive only in Arya out of all Ned’s children.

And in Jon, of course.

(‘’ _All mysteries of the world are hidden in your eyes, love.’’ Rheagar said, undressing her in a cheap hotel room and kissing her exposed neck, her breasts, her hands. ‘’The man who possesses you, possesses a key to all of them.’’_

_‘’I am not a thing that you can possess.’’ She wanted to tell him, but he silenced her with his lips over and over again, until all she could do was gasp and moan.)_

‘’I am, indeed. There were no major traffic jams on the way.’’ Lyanna looks up from her niece’s lovely face to the guy standing next to her, noticing that his cheeks a little red. _From frost? From embarrassment? From whatever other reason?_

‘’Good afternoon, Mrs. Stark. A pleasure to meet you.’’ He says quietly, the sound of his voice so unlike Robert’s booming baritone that Lyanna almost takes a step back in shock. ‘’My name is Gendry Waters, I am Arya’s –‘’

‘’Boyfriend.’’ Arya chirps, glancing up at Gendry with a grin on her face. ‘’He’s spending Christmas with us this year.’’

_Waters. Mother’s name, for sure. I wonder what Ned has to say about all this._

‘’Glad to meet you, Gendry. And it’s Miss Stark, not Mrs.’’

In the corner of her eyes, she can see Arya raising his brow in surprise, just as expected. Lyanna hates being called ‘’miss’’, she always tells everyone to just use her name. But she doesn’t think she can bear to hear her name coming from Robert’s lips ever again, even if Arya’s boy seems perfectly well-mannered.

‘’Well, let’s not stand here in the cold.’’ She adds hastily, as Arya begins to open her mouth. ‘’I’m sure Cat can use our help.’’

Of course, Cat doesn’t really need anyone’s help and they all know that. There’s probably not much left to do anyway – ever since Ned brought his wife to the house, every family holiday is a perfectly orchestrated and meticulously executed affair. How Cat manages to do it with five kids and the ever-growing list of their friends joining them every year, Lyanna truly has no idea.

Gendry clears his throat.

‘’Let me help with your luggage, Miss Stark.’’

‘’Oh, no need.’’ she waves her hand. ‘’You kids go ahead. I have to check something in the car and I will soon join you.’’

  
After they leave, she climbs back in the car and spends twenty minutes alone, in silence; she’s staring blankly at the empty driveway, too lost in memories to move.

***

_Obviously, it was cliché as hell. Older brother’s best friend? Bad boy? Hot, tall, dark-haired? There must have been at least two dozens of cheap young adult romances written with such a premise._

_The problem with Robert was that he was always around. Always. He was hanging out with Ned constantly, staying for dinners and suppers, sleeping over. When she was around 13, Lyanna began treating him as a part of the house’s equipment. Even when Ned moved to college, every time he was coming back, he was bringing Robert with him._

_And at first, Robert didn’t even notice her… until he did._

_And yes, she was flattered, because why wouldn’t she be? Years of hearing how graceless and strange-looking she was, with her stick-like legs and weird face and boom! Suddenly, she’s sixteen and hot college student Robert Baratheon was bringing her her favorite flavor of ice cream and inventing ridiculous excuses to spend time with her alone. He was always fun, always the life of the party – and his wandering hands made her feel alive in a way nothing ever did before._

_But with time, she discovered that Robert was also empty, empty as a ringing bell – loud and great, and booming, with not much inside. He would shower her with compliments and praise, and then pull another girl on his lap when she did not go with him to the party because she had to study. Kissed and told. Drank too much and then ended up with some sorority member in his bed._

_The next day he would come and beg Lyanna for forgiveness on his knees, bringing her giant bouquets of red roses until her room smelled like a flower shop. He would stare at her with those beautiful blue eyes, saying how sorry he is and how it would never happen again and how it only happened because Lya was away and he needed her with him, always. How it would all change when she finally joins him in the Eyrie._

_She didn’t believe him, not really; but she accepted to roses and excuses anyway. They would drive to the Lover’s Point and have sex, and afterward, she always laid with his heavy head in-between her breasts and wondered if that’s how love really looks like._

_When she finished school, Robert was ecstatic. He even forgave her for going to Harrenhall._

_‘’It’s much closer than Winterfell anyway.’’ He laughed and spun her around in his arms. ‘’My genius, genius girl, in the second-best uni in the whole country!’’_

_And then, first thing during orientation week, she met Rhaegar._

***

As expected, Cat shakes her head when Lya asks her for something to do.

‘’All done.’’ She wipes her flour-coated hands in her apron and sighs. ‘’There’s only the Christmas tree left to handle, but Ned already drove with Robb and Bran to pick it out. You can help kids decorate if you want.’’

While Cat begins rolling the cookie dough into little balls, Lyanna flops down on the chair.

‘’How many people this year?’’

‘’Oh, quite a lot. More and more every Christmas.’’ Cat tries and fails to sound annoyed. Lya doesn’t even know why she bothers to pretend. Anyone who ever spent more than five minutes with this woman knows that she delights in shoving food down hungry people’s throats. ‘’Bran invited the Reeds siblings and I think their parents will come too. Robb brought a girl with him from Oldtown. Her name is Jeyne, I believe.’’

 _I believe._ As if Catelyn wasn’t watching all of her golden boy’s girlfriends like a hawk.

‘’Sansa’s friend Margaery is also staying and all the usual people on top of that. Although Theon asked me if his sister can come, so one more. Oh, and Gendry, of course.’’

Lyanna’s heart starts to gallop in her chest.

‘’Is he – is this thing between him and Arya-‘’

‘’Serious? Well, I believe so.’’ Cat puts a cookie on the tray and, to Lya’s bewilderment, smiles fondly. ‘’Or maybe I should say that I hope so.’’

‘’He seems nice,’’ Lyanna says cautiously.

‘’He is nice. Kind. You know, I wasn’t very happy with this when Arya started bringing him home, he’s three years older than her and she was just sixteen. But you know Arya. Everything that you forbid her-‘’

‘’-becomes her heart’s greatest desire. Yeah, I know.’’

‘’Right. So, I and Ned decided to just wait it out. Hoped she would get bored. But some time passed and they only seemed more and more in love. Arya... honestly, she looks so happy now. And once I get to know Gendry better, I couldn’t really find anything that I could hold against him.’’

_She couldn’t find anything against Robert’s son? Cat?_

_‘’_ I do know where your question comes from.’’ Cat’s blue gaze is heavy on Lyanna. ‘’I have to assure you; Robert never acted right towards Gendry. Has never met him, as far as I know. And Gendry is, well, a completely different person than his father. You’ll see.’’

Lyanna nods her head stiffly.

_He’s still a man though. And men delight in caging wild things, free things; clipping their wings and calling it love._

Arya is such a beautiful spirit, so strong and bright. So intelligent. She has a whole life ahead of her, not yet stained with stupid mistakes.

But of course, Catelyn is married to Lyanna’s honorable, kind brother. Catelyn has never desired more than a warm house full of children to love and guests to feed. Catelyn could never understand that.

***

_Everything about Rhaegar was exhilarating; he was forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden and oh, how sweet he tasted when she took a bite._

_Youngest professor at the uni, he could have any girl, any woman he wanted. But somehow he wanted her; skinny Lya Stark, sitting in the first row at his Medieval Poetry seminary and arguing with him on every single interpretation._

_He was so magnificent in an entirely different way than Robert. If Robert was a church bell, Rhaegar was wind chimes, singing on the slightest breeze. Silver and delicate and exquisite._

_And Robert was so far away in Eyrie, only demanding her presence during weekends. Weeknights for Rhaegar. Weekends for Robert. And her, lost in-between the two of them, torn in half._

_There was a framed picture on Rhaegar’s desk, of a pretty dark-haired woman with a little girl on her lap. And Lyanna never asked about her, not even once as she was laying on this very desk and Rhaegar was pounding into her; she never felt the need to, truth to be told. She knew they were his wife and daughter. She wanted him to tell her anyway, but just as she never asked, he never confessed._

_Being with Robert had made her feel special, but being with Rheagar felt like flying._

_***_

‘’Aunt Lya, what’s wrong?’’ Arya asks her quietly while everyone is gathering at the Christmas Eve supper and Lyanna truly does not know what to answer. The truth? The lie? Something in-between?

Even that isn’t helpful as she’s not even sure what the truth is. Nothing’s wrong, except for the thoughts running through her head.

‘’Everything is alright, darling.’’ She ends up saying and immediately takes a sip from her wine glass. ‘’I just miss Jon.’’

Arya’s face falls.

‘’Me too. It’s not the same without him.’’

‘’But there are some… new people now, right?’’ Lyanna says before she can stop herself and watches, stunned, as Arya blushes a bit, biting on her lower lip.

‘’Yeah.’’ She lets out. ‘’Yeah.’’

Her eyes escape to the left and Lyanna follows her line of sight, finding Gendry in the corner, engrossed in some conversation with Bran.

‘’They both like this old fantasy cartoon,’’ Arya says softly, before turning back to Lyanna. ‘’What do you think about him?’’

Lya doesn’t think Arya knows who Robert Baratheon was to her, to their whole family; she has probably never seen him, because according to Lya’s information, Robert has not contacted Ned since the news of Jon’s birth reached his ears. If what Cat said is true and Robert and Gendry have no relationship whatsoever, it’s even more likely that Arya never met the man and does not care for him at all. And so, Lyanna tries her best not to judge her niece for this question, no matter how painful it is to answer.

‘’I don’t know him, Arya. I even didn’t have a chance to speak with him, truth to be told. But he is a very handsome guy, I cannot deny that.’’

Thorns and petals choke her when her intelligent, extroverted niece _giggles_ in response.

‘’He is, isn’t he? Even when he has this grumpy, stupid expression on his face and pretends that he doesn’t care about anything. I have no idea why he likes me so much.’’

‘’Oh, Arya.’’ Lyanna reaches out to take the girl’s hand in hers. ‘’What are you talking about? You are so lovely.’’

A dazed smile blooms on Arya’s lips.

‘’Gendry says so too.’’

( _My lovely Northern lass – said Robert_

_My beautiful Winter Rose. – said Rhaegar)_

***

_Her father showed her the door. She was not surprised by that._

_She was also not surprised when Benjen appeared in her dingy, rented flat a week later and announced that he was moving in, whether she agreed or not._

_But Lyanna was tired of crying and struggling, and although she knew it was selfish of her, she did not fight him on that. They slept in one bed as if they were children again, and shared rent and costs of doctor’s appointments. Benjen would massage her feet after her long shifts at the local diner and she made him sandwiches for his long shifts in the ice cream factory._

_Brandon was having the time of his life in Summer Isles but would sometimes send some money and Ned… poor Ned, stuck between his respect for their father and his love for his siblings. Poor, honorable Ned. Lyanna did not hold anything against him; he was helping out as much as he could and Lyanna’s romance with Robert already cost him his best friend. She could never ask more of him._

_Besides, she was fine. She was managing. She had her shitty apartment, she had Benjen and she had her baby, happily kicking her often to remind her that she was never alone. Sure, she had to drop out of university, but she was fine._

_Truly fine._

_***_

‘’Lya.’’

‘’Ned.’’

Funny thing; no matter how many years pass, Ned never seems to change much.

She suspects that’s because he was born already old. It has always been just time catching up with him, not the other way around.

Ned js leaning against the wall of the house silently as she’s smoking, both of them staring at the huge white moon on the sky. It is as quiet as only Winterfell can be – she has grown to love the buzz of King’s Landing, but there is something magical about the silence that hangs n the air so far North, thick as a mist.

‘’You cannot do that.’’

‘’Do what?’’

Lyanna’s voice is harsh, but Ned’s eyes aren’t; they are infinitely gentle when he gazes at her.

‘’Comparing yourself to them.’’

She could try to deny the soft accusation in his words, but what would be the point in that? Lying to Ned has always made her feel guilty for how easy it is.

‘’How can I not?’’ she asks instead, letting out a puff of smoke from her mouth. ‘’This boy could be Robert’s twin.’’

‘’But he’s not. And besides their looks and the blood in their veins, they don’t share a single thing.’’

She can feel irritation growing deep within her, thorny and hot.

‘’You are sure of that?’’

‘’Lyanna.’’ Ned lets out something which sounds surprisingly similar to laughter. ‘’I was Robert’s best friend. I have seen all his girls, all his … misadventures. Do you think I would let my daughter within ten miles distance from Gendry if I wasn’t sure he’s nothing like Robert?’’

With that, she cannot agree. Saying that Ned is not a good father would be like saying that the Wall is not tall.

But still, when she raises a cigarette to her lips, all she can see is Robert’s blue eyes on her as she was kneeling down in front him for the first time and all she can think about is Arya doing the exact same thing, going down the exact same road.

‘’You let your sister near him.’’ She whispers, and it sounds like a curse.

***

_Rhaegar came to see Jon one time and one time only._

_By this point, Benjen has already enlisted in order to send Lya more money and she was constantly alone with an infant, pacing the walls. Jon was a quiet, calm baby and she loved him more than the life itself, but the boredom was slowly eating her alive, along with some weird kind of bone-deep tiredness that caused to fall asleep after reading two paragraphs of any book._

_So, when the bell rang, she couldn’t help but run to the door excitedly._

_She expected Ned or maybe one of her former college friends. Brandon even, as he was supposed to come back to Westeros soon._

_Instead, it was Rhaegar standing on her doormat, a soft-looking teddy bear in his arms._

_‘’Can I come in?’’ he asked quietly and she wanted to shut the door in front of his face, she really did._

_In the future, she would lie to herself that she didn’t because she wanted Jon to meet her father. The truth was far more ugly than that, though; somewhere at the bottom of her heart, she still loved Rhaegar, loved him beyond measure and with no reason. Somewhere at the bottom of her heart, she still hoped he came to tell her that he’s getting divorced with his wife to be with her. With them._

_He didn’t, of course._

_He gently took Jon in his arms with practiced ease that almost made her tear up and then kissed the baby’s forehead._

_‘’He has your look.’’ He said as if she already didn’t know that._

_And then he proceeded to apologize for not sending money sooner and promising to do it every month from now on._

_‘’The University of Sandspear offered me a tenure, so I won’t be able to visit.’’ He added and she had never been as angry as in that moment; angry and humiliated, cherry blush blooming on her face. Rhaegar looked sad when she told him to get out; he always looked sad, her sad prince, sad and misunderstood. Robert always looked amused and Rhaegar always looked sad, and Lyanna was sick of them all._

_She screamed at Rhaegar that she didn’t want his money, but he dutiful sent it anyway and she took it. Beggars can’t be choosers, after all._

_***_

On Christmas Day, Lyanna wakes up before everyone else.

The house is eerily quiet and still when she makes her way down the stairs, easily avoiding all the squeaking floorboards. Just a few years ago, if she ventured into the living room that early, it would be already full of chirping, laughing children, tearing through colorfully packed presents.

But those children are almost adults now and so, Lyanna is alone.

Alone – except for the lonely figure standing in front of the imposing bay windows and looking out at the falling snow.

She entertains the thought of quietly passing him by and going to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea, just like she planned to. However, she has to admit that she’s quite curious. It doesn’t seem like Cat and Ned to be so charmed by this guy.

‘’Good morning, Gendry.’’ Lyanna says quietly, but Gendry spooks anyway; turns quickly towards her, visibly startled.

‘’Good morning, Miss Stark.’’ He replies. ‘’I thought I’m the only one awake so early.’’

Lyanna crosses the room to stand beside him and sighs involuntarily. The garden behind the house is a true winter wonderland, basked in the pristine, white glory.

‘’Actually, I just went down for something to drink. What’s your excuse?’’

Gendry scratches the back of his neck sheepishly.

‘’I always get up early. For work. I prefer to show up at the garage so I could do my job with no one else there.’’

Lyanna tries and fails to imagine similar words said by Robert. _Work? At the garage? Early?_

‘’You’re not a particularly social person, are you?’’

‘’Yes.’’ He chuckles. ‘’Yes, at least not before Arya. She’s always dragging me somewhere these days.’’

He has the same expression on his face like Arya during the supper; this dreamy, lovesick kind of smile. Against her best wishes, Lyanna can feel herself softening a bit.

‘’I knew your father when I was younger.’’ She says, ignoring Gendry’s wide-opened stare in favor of watching the snowfall. ‘’You look exactly like him.’’

‘’Well, I wouldn’t know that. Never met the man.’’ _So Cat was not lying to me._ ‘’But Mr. Stark told me the same.’’

Lyanna remembers standing in front of the very same window and looking out of it when she was nineteen, at home for Christmas break. She remembers that Robert came too and she had to pretend that she had a headache in order to avoid having sex with him. She remembers taking the pregnancy test in the middle of the night and crying against the pillow so that nobody would hear her sobs.

Sometimes, she thinks that she did not change at all from that stupid, naïve girl, did not grow up at all.

‘’He also told me that my father is a completely different person than me. Is it true?’’

Lyanna inhales deeply. _The boy who always stands in the corner asks me how similar he is to the boy who way always monopolizing the center of the room._

‘’Yes. Or at least, I think you two are completely different people and I knew Rober very well. I suppose Ned didn’t tell you I was involved with him?’’

If Gendry was surprised before, now he looks positively stunned.

‘’No, he didn’t.’’

‘’He was my first boyfriend.’’ Lya laces her arms on her chest. ‘’I cheated on him when I went to university and got pregnant with another man’s baby. Told him in this very house, during Christmas.’’ She smirks. ‘’You can imagine my surprise when Arya introduced you to me.’’

Gendry’s silent for a moment, as if he was processing her words in his head before he slowly nods and tears his eyes from her face. He turns back towards the garden and asks quietly:

‘’What did Robert did, when you told him ?’’

This was not a question she expected, not even at least. But she suspects she owes him at least the courtesy of honesty, after dumping all of that baggage on him.

‘’He hit me.’’ Slapped her. Grabbed her arms and shook her in the garden, so tightly that he bruised her even through her sweater. Would probably do more if Brandon didn’t run out of the house and punched him. ‘’He hit me and when my brothers tore him away from me, he drove out and I have never seen him again.’’

The only response she hears is a long, shaky exhale.

And then:

‘’So that’s why you don’t like me.’’

Lyanna puts both of her hands flat on the window, the chill of the glass biting her palms.

‘’It’s not that’’ she explains and she’s surprised how true this sentiment. ‘’I don’t have anything against you personally. But Arya… Arya is so young. And meant for such great things.’’

‘’And you’re afraid she’ll make your mistakes?’’

She’s the one to turn towards him in shock this time, anger coiling in her belly.

‘’How dare you-‘’

‘’Am I wrong?’’ his eyes meet hers, unflinchingly. ‘’You are afraid that I will what, hold her back? I won’t. I would rather break up with her than do that. I love Arya. Nobody knows how bright she is better than me. But you’re doing her a huge disservice by implying she is not capable of making her own choices.’’

‘’I would never imply that.’’ Lyanna spits out and Gendry just shakes his head.

‘’You don’t want us to be together, because you look at us and see you and my father. But neither I am him nor Arya is you. We are our own people.’’

Lyanna opens her mouth and closes her again. _He’s right. –_ crosses her mind. _He’s right, but I am not in wrong. I just want to protect her, what’s wrong with that?_

‘’You guys are up already? ’’ a sleepy voice coming from the corridor makes the two of them turn around.

Sansa, clad in a fluffy pink bathrobe and a pair of satin slippers, leans against the wall and yawns.

‘’I was about to make coffee. Do you want some?’’

Lyanna bits on her lip and looks down at her feet.

‘’No, thank you, darling. I think I’ll go back to sleep for one more hour.’’

Quickly, she wraps her sweater tighter around her frame and marches to her room, passing stunned Sansa and leaving Gendry right where she found him; a dark silhouette against the sea of white outside.

***

The dinner is a loud affair, full of wishes and shrieks of joy when everyone opens their gifts.

Lyanna perches on the sofa with a plate full of Christmas cookies on her lap and her still-wrapped presents by her side. She’s watching her nephews and nieces and their friends, soaking up their joy and laughter, trying to memorize it for another long year in the South. She already misses them.

Arya jumps into Ned’s arms when she unpacks a ticket for some hokey match that she really wanted to see and tears up a bit when she shows everyone the video Jon sent her from the Wall. But Lya’s heart breaks a little when she watches as Gendry pulls her niece under the mistletoe and placing something little in her outstretched hand, making her visibly gasp.

When she finally flops down next to Lyanna, there’s a delicate golden acorn hanging on the chain around her neck.

‘’This is where we first kissed.’’ She explains, playing with the pedant absent-mindedly. ‘’He came to the Acorn Hall when I had my fencing tournament there. Drove the whole night, this idiot, even though I had told him I didn’t expect him to. ’’

Lyanna’s looking. She’s looking at Arya, so happy that she almost seems to glow. She’s looking at her flushed cheeks, curls surrounding her face and the necklace against her pale skin.

And she realizes, with a soul-crushing certainty, that she herself has surely never been even close to such joy.

Robert and Rhaegar were both like jumping from the cliff and not being sure if one will land safely. 

Gendry seems to be more like a soft meadow on with Arya can rest.

‘’I am so happy for you, love.’’ Lyanna smiles and this time, there is not an ounce of dishonesty in her voice. ‘’I wish you two all the best.’’

Across the room, Gendry slowly nods his head towards Lya and she waves her hand at him.

‘’Come, sit with us!’’

She’s sure her niece will make a great deal of her own stupid mistakes in her life from which Lyanna won’t be able to shield her.

But at least this boy, who quietly defied her like a cliff over which ocean waves crush…. At least he won’t be one of them.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Just a quick reminder - fic writers don't receive any kind of monetary compensation for their work. We write because we love doing that and we love those characters. If you enjoy our work, please motivate us by leaving comments. Even a few words can make somebody's day ;)


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